Help
I realize that when your computer is down, or behaving badly, it can be terribly frustrating to have to wait for answers on possible solutions. When my main 'puter decides to head south, I'm stuck using a six-year-old Dell laptop that operates at something a little less than a snail's pace. Furthermore, in the year 2010, we've almost all become accustomed to having "immediate gratification," getting what we want or need almost immediately upon asking.
I just want to urge users who feel that they've been left out in the cold to exercise some patience when waiting for a response from the people who volunteer their time and expertise to help the rest of us. This is just my opinion combined with a bit of experience: If you believe that the wait time for a response here is too long, try getting help from some of the major software manufacturers. Not only will the wait time most likely be longer, but in many cases, you'll be asked to pay for the help that you receive - after having already paid for the product to begin with. Often, that help fee can be fairly hefty.
I've not had to wait for any kind of extended time to get help here. When I've received that help, the instructions have been specific, quickly narrowing down the probabilities of the cause of my issue, until it is resolved. Since coming to this site last month, Bleeping Computer has become my web site of choice for anything and everything computer related.
The people who work to help us with our computer issues here are volunteers. They do this out of a genuine desire to help and educate others. They freely pass on the expertise that they've gained over time with the rest of us. I've found that if I don't understand something, I simply have to ask for clarification, and it's explained to me. All of this at no cost, and completely without the "superiority complex" that one often runs into at other forums. Have you ever asked a question, or asked for help, only to see responses that ridicule you for your lack of knowledge? I have, many times. But not here - at this site, every question I've seen asked is treated with respect and attention. I'm quite sure that a couple of my questions had someone, somewhere, rolling her/his eyes, but the response was always given with respect. That in itself is reason enough to choose this site over many of the other places I've gone with questions.
I guess what I'm saying is that while it's frustrating to have to wait for help, please remember that the people who come to our assistance here do so by taking time out of their own lives - from work, family, or social time, in order to help us. They aren't being paid, they do this freely, expecting nothing, except perhaps a "thank you," in return.
In this day and age, that's one h*ll of a bargain.
This post has been edited by MelissaPleases: 26 November 2010 - 08:22 AM
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